Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The newberry award winning book for 2008, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is more creepy take on the themes of the Jungle Book. Instead of an orphan raised by wolves in a jungle, an orphan is raised by ghosts in a graveyard.

The book starts off with a chilling hook, a triple murder that sets up why Nobody Owens must live in secret in a graveyard, though the rest of the book, while dark, has more of a sad charm and humor about it. Several characters are obvious nods to Jungle book characters, but by the end of the book they've all become their own characters. I particularly liked Gaiman' werewolf character (who's indeed a mirror for one of Rudyard Kipling's character, but I won't spoil which), my regret is that it wasn't used more.

Gaiman's writing pattern is to take old stories and twist them. Sometimes, I think he does so to the point of detriment to the original, but here, the characters are their own and I think avoid that problem. I still recommend the 'original' over this, and Gaiman's sad, wistful view of death that pervades the book may make it difficult for the especially young.

Still, this is a very well crafted book. I also must point out that the mist like illustrations that accompany it complement the book nicely. In fact, It makes me wish more books (aside from graphic novels) used illustrations as effectively.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

A quick read that will appeal to reluctant readers, historical buffs, fans of war and suspense novels, and fans of Gary Paulsen's other books.

The year is 1776, in west Pennsylvania, Samuel is 13, but already providing for his family through his hunting skills. British troops attack his town, and kidnap his parents, and Samuel is determined to fin them. Paulsen gives us short historical asides between chapters which help flesh out the context for the reader. It's a harsh war book, more about a family caught in middle of a conflict than about the high ideals of the revolution.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

In order to spice up this blog, I thought I'd paste some of my good reads page reviews here. Keep in mind, these opinions are mine alone!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Went back and forth on whether to go 3 or 4 stars with this, finally changed my mind back to three. It's a pretty horrifying book, with some interesting questions...but I think it went a bit in the wrong direction from the start. In short: Trying to attach it to abortion hurt the book. It was unnecessary. My opinion, but let me explain:

So a war between anti-abortion and pro-abortion forces breaks out, and the resolution is that a child is protected until they are 13. From 13-18, parents have the option to "Unwind" their child. The child is still "alive," just distributed amongst those in need of organs and body parts. This is largely accepted and on top of it, all major religious organizations have apparently bought into it wholeheartedly, endorsing church members to "tithe" excess children. As a side plot: Mothers with unwanted children can "stork" unwanted babies in rather 'quaint' fashion: leave a child at a family's door step. If you don't get caught, it's legally theirs. Our story focuses on three children who are set up to be unwound for different reasons, and their attempt to escape.

Creepy premise, and I don't find the idea of parents donating their teens organs as implausible as some. History is loaded with human and child sacrifice after all. And teens in our country frankly exist in a rather ambiguous legal limbo at times. And the fact that many children are "storked" on other parents adds to the tendency for parents to think "It's not my kid anyway."

The problem is that as a resolution to an abortion war it doesn't make much sense. Almost all those against abortion believe in a human soul, and aren't going to find the pseudo-zen, materialistic logic that defines life as simply organic material, so dividing the child means you don't have to 'die.' And on the pro abortion side, well, having to raise the child until 13 kindof defeats the purpose of abortion in the first place I suspect. I understand it's not meant to be a 'good' compromise, and is meant to be a desperate attempt to end a war, but it bugs me a lot.

Plus it leads me to ask uncomfortable questions about the book. The author actually tries to be neutral in the debate, but I'll just ask this: At one point, when debating the war, a kid, as a kind of "last word in the argument" (where characters go back and forth for awhile, until one character says some profound one sentence phrase which seems to be the best, last word), states that if more people had been willing to say "I don't know"; in the abortion debate, the war might not have happened. Interesting point...but would the kids about to be unwound say the same thing about the unwinding debate? The practice of unwinding is just as accepted in their day as abortion is in our society.

Alright, all that said, once the background of the war starts to fade in the latter half of the book, I found this nagging complaint to fade a bit and actually got drawn into the book. There's good characterization here, I like the picture of a kid finding out behind his parents back that they've signed him up to be unwound, then getting revenge by being excessively nice to them. The book grabs onto a fear of alienation teens have from the adult world, as if all the dirty looks they get for hanging out at the mall hide a secret wish that they could just go away. And the implications of a society where organs are so easily available to be taken and shared is delved into. So I'm not saying this a bad story. And it is certainly very, very creepy, cringe worthy at times, especially if the idea of having your body taken apart pushes your buttons.

I'll add that some scenes will almost certainly be too intense for younger or just plain sensitive readers.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Today is "Read Comics in Public Day," so here's Evan reading a copy of Captain America by Ed Brubaker. You can find trade paperbacks of Captain America and other comics at the Rogers Public Library today!

Why did the American Revolution take place? It was about more than the dates and details we all know: war elephants charging a fort in India and high-stakes gambles of bankers in Scotland, among other events, also played a part in the "real revolution" in the minds of the entire population of what would become the United States.

This book looks at the 1862-63 battle for Vicksburg through the eyes of three children: ten-year-old Lucy, the daughter of a Vicksburg merchant; eleven-year-old Willie, the son of a minister; and twelve-year old Frederick, the son of Ulysses S. Grant.

Improve your historical knowledge with this witty and efficient presentation of pivotal themes and events such as the American Revolution, Civil War, and civil rights movement. This clever and informative work follows a chronological arrangement from early exploration to the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009.

Follows the life of thirteen-year-old Nathaniel Dunn, from May 1774 to December 1775, as he serves his indentureship with a music teacher in Williamsburg, Virginia, and witnesses the growing rift between patriots and loyalists, culminating in the American Revolution.

Captain America's nemesis, the Red Skull, has been murdered and Cap must find his killer. Plus, he has to retrieve the Skull's last project, a Cosmic Cube that can alter reality, and stop a group of the Skull's followers from setting off bombs in Paris, London, and Manhattan.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Come this Tuesday at 6 pm in the Teen Garden and enjoy our outdoor book club! Discuss the latest books, get ideas for your next book to read!

Speaking of reading, we're celebrating Summer Reading Club June 5th at the library from 1-4 with events for all ages! In particular, come to the library lawn and play some volleyball, then limbo to the music!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Hello again, this week, I'd like to invite you to the library on Thursday, April 15th to celebrate National Poetry Month!

Come to the RPL Community room at 6 p.m. and share your Poetry in an open air setting! Ages 13-18 and guests.

Also, you can now become a fan of the Rogers Public Library on Facebook. Check out all the latest info, and even connect to our catalog.

Finally, a reminder that the NWA Youth Battle of the Bands is coming this July 31st!

Got a band? We've got auditions this Saturday (April 17th) at 5:30 but we need you to apply first! If that won't work, email me (eday@rogersark.org) or join us at http://www.myspace.com/nwayouthbattleofthebands.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Come the Rogers Public Library Community room at 6 pm on Tuesday, April 6th to discuss the latest books at the RPL Teen Scene. Got a book you're dying to talk about? Need suggestions? Want to kick back and relax after school? Come on down!

Join us to me your own Hershey Kiss Rose! Register online or call the library.

Saturday, February 27th, 12-2 pm Anime Club, ages 13-18 and guests

cme make a tasty snack of Pocky with us!

For March:

Tuesday, March 2nd, 6-7 pm, Teen Book Club!

Note the later time! Come and share what books you’ve been reading! Get suggestions for great new books! Ages 13-18 and parents.

Teen Tech Week!

Tuesday, March 9th, 6-6:30 pm, Teen Tech Demonstration

To be held in Teen Scene! Come have a demonstration of all the tools the library has to offer that can help you do homework and have fun as well! See how to use our databases, get online help from tutors, and download an audio book from your own home! Teens ages 13-18 and their guest are invited to attend.

Thursday, March 11th, 6-8 pm, Teen Tech Week: Game Night Throwdown!

Show us your skills! Register for this event to compete with other area teens at Super Smash Bros Brawl for Nintendo Wii! They'll be other games like Guitar hero available for those who are not participating or knocked out of the tournament. Ages 13-18.

In order to register, fill on the information below or call 479-621-1152, ext 32.

Come make Japanese Papers Fans this Saturday at the Anime Club! Meet us in the Community Room from 12-2!

By the way, if you haven't noticed, we have our own display out in the library hallway by the magazines now! This month's theme is "New books for a new year" and features various new titles fro you to check out! We'll update it every month!

Who is this Guy?

I'm the Young Adult Librarian at Rogers Public Library in Rogers Arkansas.
If you have a library related question, email me at: eday@rogersar.gov, or call at 479-621-1152 ext. 6011
Photo courtesy of the Rogers Morning News.

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I always knew from that moment, from the time I found myself at home in that little segregated library in the South, all the way up until I walked up the steps of the New York City library, I always felt, in any town, if I can get to a library, I'll be OK. It really helped me as a child, and that never left me.